The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-07-26
COMMON CARRIERS.
An Opinion by the Inter
State Commission.
ISSUE OF MILEAGE TICKETS.
charges FOR Which May be Reason
able and Just-They All Concur
General News.
The Interstate Commission.

WASHINGTON, July 25.-The inter
state commerce commission delivered an
opinion to-day, in four of the cases re-
Gently brought before it. The cases
entitled Louis harrison against the
Grand Trunk Railroad Company and
the Michigan Central Railroad against
the Grand Trunk Railroad Company
were heard together. The charge is
unjust discrimination. harrison com
plains that the road would not sell him
thousand-mile ticket at the price paid
by commercial travellers, and the Mich
gan Central Company complains that
the Grand Trunk Company was selling
to the commercial travellers at lower
rate than to the public generally. De-
aver that nothing alleged is in conflict
with the law. The opinion reviews
and discusses at length the evidence
set up by defendant and concluded as
| follows:
Common carriers may continue the
issuance of mileage passenger tickets,
charges for which must be reasonable
and just, and free from unjust discrimi-
| nation or unreasonable preference.
Persons belonging to the class
known as commercial travellers
are not privileged to ride over the rail
roads at lower rates than are paid by
other persons. Whatever reasonable
rates commercial travellers are made to
pay, other travellers may be asked to
pay. To charge one more than another
is unjust discrimination, and this is
true whether the tickets issued are
mileage tickets or in some other form.
The refusal of the Chicago and Grand
Trunk Railway Company to sell COM
plainant harrison a thousand mile
| ticket for $40, the price at which said
company was selling such tickets to
commercial travellers, and the neglect
| to publish the rates at which de-
PENDANT was offering to sell mileage
tickets were alike in conflict withsthe
act to regulate commerce.
The opinion was by Commissioner
Morrison, all concurring.
The case of the st. Louis wholesale
grocers against the Missouri Pacific
embodies complaint that while COM
mutation tickets are sold at rates which
would amount to not more than $16 fol
LOCO miles, thousand mile tickets
upon which commercial travellers
travel, are not sold for less that $25.
The commission is also asked
to order and direct that
no discrimination be made in
favor of commercial travellers. The
commission does not regard the fact
that Communication tickets are put on
sale at a given rate to be one that en-
titles the purchaser of mileage tickets
to complain of unjust discrimination.
If it charges higher rate, the circum-
stances and conditions, the opinion
says, are not the same. The commits
sion finds nothing in the testimony
submitted going to show the charge of
$25 for l ,000-mile ticket as unreason-
able. In respect to the order it is re-
Quested to make IN favor of commercial
travellers, the opinion says the entire
| policy and spirit of the new law are
against it, and when mileage tickets, as
distinguished from trip tickets, are is
sued, they should be sold to all impair
TALLY and on the same terms. The
opinion is by Commissioner Walker,
all concurring.
The case of Ralph w. Thatcher, of
Schenectady, Ny, against the Arch
burg Railroad and others, for excessive
rates on grain to Boston, is dismissed
for want of equity.
Ia the case ots the Burton Stock Car
Company, the decision is to the effect
that there is no apparent ground on
which the railroad can be ordered
to pay mileage to the Burton
| Company. In respect to the
alleged uHreasonableness OF the
charge TO shippers of stock by
Burton cars in excess of that to ship
pers by :ordinary cars, the Commits
sion says the case is not satisfactorily
presented.